Hoping to beat gridlock as over 2.5 million evacuees try to make their way back to Houston and the Gulf Coast, thousands have begun their journeys home.

What they didn't wait to find out: Most schools, including the Houston Independent School District, will remain closed until midweek so everyone doesn't rush back at once, and authorities have mapped out a plan to bring home residents region by region.

Frustrated by the excruciatingly slow journey out of town, Julio Rocha packed the whole family in the car before dawn, after it was clear Houston had been spared the worst of Hurricane Rita.

The family set out about 6 a.m. and had made it to Sealy before 11 a.m.

"It paid off,'' Martha Rocha said. "We didn't sit for hours, and now I will be able to see how my house is."

But others didn't move fast enough and traffic jams quickly formed.

Houston-bound traffic was at a standstill by noon on I-10 just outside of Columbus as cars from San Antonio met up with people driving in from Austin. The snarl prompted many to pull off the highway, examine maps and consider alternate routes.

Billy Yarborough, who evacuated his Matagorda County home before the storm, opted to drive along a smaller highway to avoid sitting on I-10.

"We did this on the way out, and I am not going to do it again,'' Yarborough said. "I don't mind going a few more miles, if I can keep moving.''

Texas and Houston officials are scrambling to avoid a repeat of the grueling evacuation earlier this week, and they say leaving now is a bad idea.

This afternoon the Texas Department of Transportation released a plan for returning to Houston on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Large swaths of the Houston area -- including Clear Lake, Pasadena and communities northeast of Houston -- are not included in the plan, which was drawn up last night and doesn't yet include areas where damage was expected to be worst. They could be added as damage assessments are completed.

Because of the need to bring rescue crews and supplies into the region, outbound lanes of the highways will not be opened to returning traffic. State officials have not decided whether the government would be willing to refuel incoming cars as they did for those stranded on their way out of town, saying that scenario is too hypothetical. Fuel suppliers are scrambling to find ways to get much-needed gasoline into the area.

"Stay patient. Stay put," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said this morning. "I can't say in strong enough terms to those who evacuated the coastal region they should not begin to return for the time being. We are not through assessing the damage. We cannot assure you at this time that your community is safe to return to.''

A big factor in that decision for many people will be start dates for schools.

Some of the Houston area's largest school districts plan to resume classes on Wednesday, including Houston, Aldine, Alief, Clear Creek, Spring Branch, Cy-Fair, Humble and Katy. Pasadena schools will resume classes on Thursday.

School, city and state officials are trying to coordinate so that residents' return home isn't the nightmare their exit was. Time is needed to restock fuel supplies along the return route. Oil companies are gearing up to replenish drained gas stations that were sucked dry after the masses motored for higher ground.

Moreover, parts of East Texas, where many Houston-area residents fled, remain under hurricane and severe storm warnings. Heavy rain and flooding are forecast for parts of Texas over the next few days, and travel advisories are still in effect for major routes leading back to Houston, where 600,000 residents are without power.

Houston Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels encouraged people to keep their ears open for the all-clear signal but acknowledged the government's efforts will be largely advisory.

"Coordinating the acts of citizens — let's be serious," he said. "There aren't going to be mandated days on when to come back."

"If they are in a safe place and have power, they shouldn't be making plans right now,'' White said.

Nonetheless, a steady stream of traffic was returning on I-45 South this morning, as evacuees headed back to the Clear Lake area, League City, Dickinson and other communities in north Galveston County that were under a mandatory evacuation ahead of Hurricane Katrina.

Authorities warned that no one would be allowed to return Galveston Island -- which remains under a mandatory evacuation order until 6 a.m. Sunday -- except for school, hospital and government officials. Some residents were reporting today that they've made it home, but emergency officials said Galveston County sheriff's officers had the causeway blocked and were forcing drivers to turn around and head back north.

The Houston area saw both mandatory and voluntary evacuations. And it will be up to local elected officials who ordered mandatory evacuations to decide when people can return, said Jack Colley, coordinator of state emergency operations.

But there is nothing to keep people from returning to areas that were not included in mandatory evacuations, said Steve McCraw, state director of homeland security.

Flying out

For those residents trying to return to Houston by airplane, the problem isn't so much fuel as the lack of workers at Houston's airports, which suffered only minor damage to runway lights and signs.

Southwest and Continental airlines don't expect to resume any flights before Sunday as the airports try to find enough baggage screeners, as well as flight controllers, concession operators and cargo handlers.

"I'd expect there will be some flights, but there might not be full schedules,'' said Houston Airport System spokesman Richard Fernandez. "That's why it's critical to check with your carrier. Why make a trip to the airport and waste precious fuel if your flight isn't scheduled?''